Police in Florida say 281 people were arrested in a seven-day undercover operation involving suspected child sexual offences, prostitution and human trafficking. Seventeen suspects reported links to Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando, while investigators identified 11 people they believed were trafficking victims.
The results of Polk Around & Find Out II were announced on Friday 30 October 2026 by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. The operation involved investigators from local, state and federal agencies. The arrests took place as part of a wider Polk County investigation, not a raid on Disney World or Universal Studios.
What we know
- 281 arrests were announced following the seven-day operation.
- 239 arrests involved alleged prostitution-related offences, according to the sheriff’s published breakdown.
- 31 arrests were classed by the sheriff’s office as alleged child-sex-predator cases; 11 further arrests were placed in an ‘other’ category.
- 488 new charges were reported: 198 felonies and 290 misdemeanours.
- 17 suspects told investigators they worked at local theme parks or resorts. At his press briefing, Judd attributed 13 to Disney and four to Universal.
- Seven of the 17 theme park-linked suspects were in the alleged child-predator group, police said.
- 11 suspected trafficking victims were identified during screening, and support services were offered.
- Two suspects in the child-predator investigation faced human trafficking charges, according to reporting of the sheriff’s announcement.
These are figures released by investigators, not findings reached by a court. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office announcement contains the principal breakdown.
How the undercover operation worked
Officers ran two overlapping investigations. In one, detectives posed online as children or as adults connected to children. Police say suspects then communicated with them about arranging unlawful sexual activity. In the other, officers investigated commercial-sex activity and possible exploitation.
The sheriff’s office says 117 people travelled to an undercover location to negotiate payment for sex and were arrested on solicitation-related allegations. Another 122 people travelled to engage in prostitution and were screened by detectives and specialist organisations to establish whether they might be trafficked or exploited.
That distinction matters: an arrest for prostitution is not equivalent to evidence that the arrested person was a trafficker. Some people involved in commercial sex may themselves be experiencing coercion or exploitation. The operation’s broad title should not be read as meaning that all 281 suspects were accused of human trafficking.
What is known about the Disney and Universal connections
Sheriff Judd said 13 of those arrested were associated with Walt Disney World and four with Universal Orlando. The initial sheriff’s release more narrowly says that 17 suspects told detectives they worked at local theme parks or resorts. Current and former employment have been described together in some coverage, so the total should not be assumed to represent 17 independently verified current employees.
Among the Disney-linked cases highlighted at the briefing were a man who reportedly worked in Toy Story Land and a former Disney character performer. Investigators alleged that some theme park-linked suspects communicated with undercover officers posing as children. Their employment is background to the investigation; it is not evidence that alleged offences occurred at a theme park.
Judd told reporters that Disney had cooperated with investigators and dismissed current employees connected to the arrests. This is the sheriff’s account of the company’s response, not a separately verified corporate statement. At the briefing, he said he did not yet have confirmation of equivalent action at Universal.
There is no evidence in the material reviewed that Disney or Universal organised, authorised or facilitated human trafficking. Nor does the fact that employees were arrested establish that visitors or children at the parks were targeted there.
A youth coach, Navy sailor and school resource officer
Police also singled out arrests involving adults in positions of public trust. A youth football and cheerleading coach was accused of arranging to meet someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl. An active-duty US Navy sailor was among those accused in the online child-predator investigation. The allegations against each individual are separate and must be judged on the evidence in their own cases.
Orange County sheriff’s deputy Eric Raymond, who was reported to work as a school resource officer, was arrested in the prostitution-related operation and charged with soliciting a prostitute. That is not the same allegation as attempting to meet a child for sex. The distinction is important when reporting the officers and other public-facing workers involved.
Trafficking victims and support
Polk County detectives worked with the Florida Department of Children and Families and anti-trafficking charity One More Child to screen people arrested in the commercial-sex operation. The sheriff’s office reported identifying 11 people as human trafficking victims and said services were offered.
According to reporting from the press conference, One More Child said it engaged with 93 people and 18 agreed to receive services. Those numbers should not be confused with the 11 assessed as trafficking victims. They measure different aspects of the outreach work.
The announcement does not establish the long-term safety, housing or legal outcomes of those identified. Nor does it establish that all people arrested for prostitution were traffickers rather than potentially exploited individuals.
What police have said
Sheriff Judd said the operation was designed to disrupt people seeking to exploit children and urged parents to remain engaged with their children’s online activity and the adults around them. The full police release details the participating agencies and a number of illustrative arrests.
The investigation involved the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, immigration and homeland security personnel, several other police departments and sheriff’s offices and specialist support organisations.
Investigators also said 24 suspects brought firearms to encounters, 32 faced drug-possession charges and nine were on probation, according to the Attorney General-related reporting. These were additional reported circumstances and charges, not separate groups to add on top of the 281 arrests.
Why reports differ between 31 and 32 suspected child predators
There is a small but genuine discrepancy in the official and widely reported figures. The sheriff’s detailed written release counts 31 child-predator arrests, 239 prostitution-related arrests and 11 other arrests, totalling 281. Other accounts citing the Attorney General describe 32 arrests in the child-predator strand and 249 in a second strand. Both sets total 281, but the categories are not identical.
Fish 4 News uses the sheriff’s detailed written count of 31 in its principal breakdown. Until authorities explain the classification difference, it would be misleading to present the two breakdowns as interchangeable.
What we don’t know
- Whether criminal conduct alleged in any of these cases occurred at a Disney or Universal property. The published operation does not establish that.
- The exact current employment status of every person linked to a theme park and whether Universal has taken any disciplinary action.
- Whether prosecutors will file, amend or withdraw particular charges, and how many cases will result in convictions.
- Whether investigations into the youth sports coach will identify any previous victims. Police said this aspect remained under investigation.
- The longer-term outcomes for the 11 people identified as suspected trafficking victims, including how many accepted continuing support.
- Why the Attorney General’s and sheriff’s published categories differ by one child-predator arrest.
What happens next
The arrests mark the beginning, not the conclusion, of individual criminal cases. Investigators and prosecutors will need to support each allegation with evidence. Anyone charged is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in court.
We will update this report if police or prosecutors clarify the differing figures, confirm employer responses or announce material developments in the cases.
Watch the full police briefing
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has published the news conference explaining the operation. It includes discussion of alleged offences that some readers may find distressing.
